• Somebody's Watching MeSegmentation
  In March 2008, Amber Duick began receiving email messages from a criminal fugitive who identified himself as Sebastian Fowler. "Amber, mate!" read one missive. "Coming 2 Los Angeles. Gonna lay low at your place for a bit till it all blows over." Over the course of five days, he advised ... more
• [Your Name Here]Segmentation
  Marketing messages with personalized subject lines usually fail to impress DJ Waldow. "[Most] of those emails use my first name as the 'hook' to get me to open," he writes in a recent post at the Email Experience Council blog. "This never works for me. Never. I know it's fake. ... more
• Glamp It UpSegmentation
  Warren Katz uses a post at the Elephant Bites blog to discuss the recession-driven microtrend of "glamping"—a freshly coined portmanteau for glamorous camping. In essence, its proponents want the low-budget benefit of a holiday in the great outdoors, but don't care to leave all the luxuries of home behind. "So, who ... more
• ¿Habla Español?Segmentation
  Not all Spanish speakers want the same thing from a website—many more factors than just language are at play.That's why, Tamara Barber explains in a post at the Forrester blog, research on customers' preferences led Best Buy and Allstate to dramatically different conclusions: "Best Buy," she notes, "has learned ... more
• 25% of UK Ads on Social NetworksSegmentation
  Social networking sites accounted for more than 25% of all UK display ad impressions in August. Although younger social networkers were delivered the highest percentage of ads, a sizable percentage of impressions reached every age group. more
• What Would We Do Without You?Segmentation
  You've probably heard a lot that the days of "push" messaging—a mythical golden age when marketers could feed passive viewers whatever rigmarole the ad department pleased—are dead. So true. But for you, it's not a bad thing; it's a chance to develop long-term, even downright codependent relationships with users. And there ... more
• How a Minority Can Look Like a MajoritySegmentation
  Let's say a travel company sends out a series of email messages with a variety of offers. Campaigns 1 and 3 produce average clickthrough rates of just over 4 percent; campaigns 2 and 4, however, generate rates of 6.68 percent and 6.4 percent, respectively. "Clearly, emails 2 and 4 resonated ... more
• This Will Be on the TestSegmentation
  "Something that we preach at eROI is to TEST TEST TEST," says Ryan Buchanan in a post at the company's blog. "We believe that testing should be an integral part of every email marketing campaign." If you're not sure how to get started, eROI comes to the rescue with a ... more
• We'll Have a Gay Old TimeSegmentation
  We've seen Sarah Haskins critique advertising that patronizes women, and now it's time for Bryan Safi's take on commercials that handle gay topics with varying degrees of respect. In this occasionally off-color video from Current TV, he begins with a few ads that use gay men as the punchline for ... more
• Your Husband: Slightly Dumber Than a DogSegmentation
  Comedian Sarah Haskins is back with another Target Women video at Current TV that skewers gender-based advertising clichés—this time it's the Doofy Husband. "Being a woman isn't easy," she says in a mock serious tone. "We work, we take care of the house, we raise children, and we do it ... more
• Google Launches DoubleClick Ad ExchangeSegmentation
  In a move to shove Yahoo off its display-ad perch, Google last Thursday launched its DoubleClick Ad Exchange, which the company promised would streamline and improve how display ads are targeted at and delivered to a desired audience. more
• Is Your Store for Barry or Jill?Segmentation
  In Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning, Thomas Davenport and Jeanne Harris explain how Best Buy used data collected on 60 million U.S. households to create eight customer segments. And with the insights it gained, the company devised new formats that cater to specific segments in a few ... more
• Top 15 Lifestyle-Related Sites, July 2009Segmentation
  Online dating sites figure prominently in the list of top 15 lifestyle-related websites, in addition to blogging, children's, and miscellaneous other sites catering to niche audiences. more
• Show Me the Numbers That CountSegmentation
  "It's high time email marketers assess campaign performance in terms of the business and marketing goals, objectives, and contribution expectations that matter," says Karen Talavera in an article at MarketingProfs. She recommends placing data into two broad categories to drill down to what really counts: Process Metrics—which are diagnostic in ... more
• The Color of MoneySegmentation
  As environmental awareness continues to rise, the average consumer has become more conscious of the need to make greener choices. A post at the Osocio blog highlights a satirical cartoon from Lunchbreath that skewers marketers who respond to the trend with disingenuous, "greenwashed" packaging that relies on elements like this:  ... more
• Look to Where the Sun Is ShiningSegmentation
  "The Hispanic market seems to be the only one still flourishing these days in the face of economic doom and gloom," says Blaire Borthayre in an article at MarketingProfs. And there are, she argues, a number of reasons why the buying power of these savvy consumers will likely grow to ... more
• Don't Become a FrenemySegmentation
  "Refer-A-Friend campaigns can be tricky territory," says Kristen Gregory in a post at the Bronto blog. "Let's be very clear: just because someone gives you the email address of their friend does not mean you have permission to email [that friend] whenever you want, as often as you like." For ... more
• Youth Isn't Always Wasted on the YoungSegmentation
  You might have mixed emotions—perhaps a blend of envy and awe—when you hear teenage CEOs discuss how they plan to secure venture capital for their second or third startup. But once you get past the novelty of their age, tales of their youthful success can provide you with an entirely ... more
• Lessons From a Cardboard BoxSegmentation
  Mark Brownlow of Email Marketing Reports says he learned a thing or two while working in a cardboard-box factory as a teenager. "The first was the importance of proofreading," he says. "There are not a lot of alternative uses for 200,000 boxes advertising ‘Premium banannas.’ " Another lesson was the ... more
• Take This Plan and Shove It!Segmentation
  "Lately," says Ken Magill in a post at DIRECT, "I regularly get messages from frustrated email managers whose bosses are trying to prod them into doing something self-destructive." It seems they're dealing with upper management who believe that doubling frequency will double profits, and that anything is fine as long ... more
• Ladies' ChoiceSegmentation
  "Hey!" says comedian Sarah Haskins, as she dumps an array of Yoplait, Activia and Dannon onto a table at the beginning of a viral video. "Why am I holding all this yogurt? Because I'm a woman. And yogurt is the official food of women." Marisa Meltzer uses a post ... more
• Now Is the Time for Me, Baby! Segmentation
  Good news for those marketers who seek to advertise aggressively and creatively to Baby Boomers: You are right on track! New research is finding that for many Boomers "aging is not about the inevitable end, but rather about the evolving self." It seems this age group is redefining retirement as ... more
• Summer: Time to Slice & Dice Segmentation
  "Building your own opt-in email marketing list is an accomplishment," says Steve Adams in an article at MarketingProfs, "but don't stop there. Once you start reaching out to your list with great content, you can then improve the targeting and relevance of your email marketing campaigns by using segmentation." The ... more
• I Predict a Sunny DaySegmentation
  "Predictive analysis has a long and profitable history with direct mail," says Arthur Middleton Hughes in a Premium article at MarketingProfs. "Millions of dollars have been saved by focusing on those customers most likely to buy—and not mailing to those who are unlikely to be interested." Only recently, though, have ... more
• Don't Fear the ReaperSegmentation
  In a post at the Marketing Analytics blog, Lynne Harrold describes the quandary faced by an important Bostonian cultural institution. As its established member base dies off, it needs to attract younger members. But there's a problem: the young don't care for the repertoire favored by their elders. In general ... more

Segmentation: See all 45 items

Segmentation articles by the best and brightest in the field

• Moving From Data to Action by Justin Talerico
  Your site visitors are not one big herd of cattle moving from Point A to Point B. So to optimize response, you need to segment your visitors and your analysis. more
• Give the Gorilla the Banana by Justin Talerico
  Have you heard the concept of “giving the gorilla the banana”? In post-click marketing, the gorilla is the audience you want to convert and the banana is the reason they clicked your ad in the first place. more
• Offer Alternatives to Identify Your Best Prospects by Justin Talerico
  The art of aligning your strategic objectives with the needs within your clickstream is critical to targeting your message and converting those people who are the best fits for your offering. more
• How Many Segments Do I Need? by Anna Talerico
  Sheena Iyengar is a full professor in the Management Division of the Columbia Business School. I learned of her work in Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink. Iyengar is one of the leading experts on choice, and how choice impacts our decision-making. She is also my new hero. more
• Customer-Centric Segmentation by Scott Brinker
  Sometimes, when we talk about segmentation, we can get caught up in thinking about it as merely categorization—we’re deciding what labels to put on people into and who belongs where. This is like thinking of segmentation as a kind of filing system. more
• Segmented Audiences are 4X More Valuable  by Justin Talerico
  Segmentation is immensely valuable. Behavioral targeting of ads is hot because—surprise, surprise—when you give people more relevant messaging and content, you get better results. more
• Why Segment Respondents? by Justin Talerico
  Pre-conversion segmentation offers you a chance to learn far more than what you can learn after conversion because you're dealing with a much larger pool of respondents. more
• Marketing to the New Gen X by Dave Sohigian
  Most businesses are well aware of how to market to Generation Xers (those born 1961-1981) mainly because so many people in business today are part of Generation X. But as Gen Xers move into midlife (the oldest are 48, and youngest are 28), we are seeing a dramatic shift in ... more
• Improving Campaign Deliverability for PC and Mobile Users by Wendy Lowe
  All the time spent planning your campaigns seems like a waste if a large number of your email messages are not making it to your subscribers' inboxes. Moreover, the constant evolution of technology means more people are checking their email with their mobile devices. For email marketers, that means one thing: ... more
• Marketing to Youth: No Longer a Dark Art by Paul Metz
  It takes a lot more than Harry Potter's brand of wizardry for marketers to understand the spending habits of what is commonly referred to as the youth market—those between age 6 to 18. In fact, it requires a flexible understanding of the subcategories within this vast network of youth. And success ... more
• A Two-Step Process for Launching Successful Email-Marketing Campaigns: Find Your Voice, and Segment by Steve Adams
  Email is one of the easiest, most affordable, and most effective marketing tools out there. Nonetheless, launching an email-marketing program can seem a daunting challenge, especially for time-strapped entrepreneurs and small-business owners. more
• You Had Me at 'Recession-Proof': The Hispanic Market by Blaire Borthayre
  The Hispanic market seems to be the only one still flourishing these days in the face of economic doom and gloom. Foreign-born Hispanics in the US have been historically unaffected by economic downturns. Why? And how can you tap the market effectively? more
• Achieving Relevance in Direct Digital Marketing: An Introduction by Bryce Marshall
  There are five keys to making a relevance-centered approach a reality in your direct digital marketing programs(such as email, websites, mobile, and so on). more
• Boost Your Business With Seven Easy Digital Marketing Techniques for Lead Generation by Yael K. Penn
  Growing your in-house database should be at the top of every marketers list. Why? When done correctly, it will house your most-qualified and responsive prospects. Though organic list growth may take time and effort, you will love the rewards. Consider the following techniques to acquire new leads and grow your ... more
• In a Tough Economy, Go to Battle for Your Customers by J. Mark Carr, Karl Gustafson
  Decision-makers who are worried over the stability of their company's finances should remember one simple truth: The source of your business's cash flow is your customer base. What all of this boils down to is the need to make smart, informed investment and cost-cutting decisions that have both a short-term and ... more
• Improve Your Email Marketing Through Segmentation by Michael Clark
  Not all customers are alike, and what appeals to one may not interest another. Therefore, it is important that you connect the message you are sending to your customers' differing interests. Email messages that are segmented, targeted, and relevant to the recipient are much more likely to be opened and acted ... more
• How Hyundai Uses Behavioral Segmentation to Take the Bull by the Horns and Send the Bear Packing by Michael Barr
  Hyundai took the bull by the horns in this bear market and scored big. It used behavioral segmentation to identify what was keeping prospects from buying and then developed a strategy that made it easier for customers to part with their hard-earned dollars. What can you learn from its example? In ... more
• Most Super Bowl Ads Aimed at Males; Most Money Spent by Females by Gerry Myers
  A few basic thoughts advertisers should consider for the 2010 Super Bowl: • Who watches the Super Bowl? Approximately 100 million viewers, with more than 40 percent of them women. • Who spends the most money as a consumer? Women spend approximately 85 percent; men spend only 15 percent. • Who focuses more ... more
• Special Report: How the 'Obama for America' Campaign Used Digital Media to Turn Ordinary Citizens Into Campaign Evangelists by Kimberly Smith
  How did the Obama for America campaign do it? By its adherence to several game-changing strategies. more
• Four Parts to Valuable Personas by Angela Quail
  Recent buzz about personas has created some confusion. If you've tried to develop and deploy personas, you may have experienced resistance from other departments because they don't grasp the value that personas purportedly provide. The reason may be that personas (in the form of customer profiles) by themselves don't offer ... more
• How to Use Scenarios to Create Buyer Segments by Laura Patterson
  What if we thought about using scenarios as a creative way to segment the market? After all, different customer sets face different scenarios that trigger their response. By understanding the various scenarios that different customers face, you can take a unique marketing approach to each scenario. more
• How to Target Your Prospects With Military Precision by J. Woody Meachum
  Predicting where your prospects are online is tricky—and often expensive. And it's not always about where they are but also what are the best ways to reach them. How should you decide where to start? The military has utilized a system called CARVER, a mnemonic term for the weighting factors used to ... more
• Boost Email Marketing Response With List Segmenting and Triggered Emails by Neil Anuskiewicz
  If you are an email marketer who is doing traditional "batch and blast" email marketing, now's a good time to start segmenting and sending triggered emails. Doing so allows you to send more relevant emails and achieves better response from your subscribers. more
• She's Waiting: Five Ways to Reach Women via Sustainable Business Practices by Andrea Learned
  An authentic and established sustainable commitment resonates with women. Here's how companies can work toward more sustainable operations, offer products that reflect that intention, and (in doing so) create good business with a double whammy. more
• The Luxury Catch-22 by Martin Lindstrom
  In the luxury brand business, stretching brands too thinly across market segments may gain short-term revenue increases, but it also almost guarantees long-term loss to the shareholders, brand owners, and, well, consumers. So, set your limits for how much you really want to stretch your brand before you open your doors ... more

See all Marketing Articles

Segmentation case studies, deconstructing real life examples and illustrating lessons learned

• A Facebook Experiment in Ad TargetingOne Day, One Job
  CASE STUDY: Here's how One Day, One Job—an online company that helps college students find entry-level jobs—grew its Web traffic and visibility via targeted ads on the social network. more
• Reviving the Dead List to Grow Email RevenuesPerricone MD
  CASE STUDY: All your opt-ins won't stay loyal forever: Interests change, as do expectations about messaging and frequency. Even as your list grows, so will the number of unopened emails. So you should cut off the "dead weight," right? Not so fast, there might still be money to be made. more
• How a Women's Clothing Retailer Bucked the 2008 Downturn, Upped Revenues via EmailIntermix
  CASE STUDY: Today's economy has earnest marketers scrambling for consumer attention. As inboxes become inundated with yet more marketing messages, the bar continues to inch higher for those attempting to stand out from the clutter. Here's how one retailer tweaked its email program to grow revenue, even in this market. more
• How a Targeted Lead-Development Program Earned an IT Company 34% Yearly Growth for Five Years (and Counting)CenterBeam
  CASE STUDY: For IT company CenterBeam, sales is indeed a numbers game, but not in the traditional sense. Rather than trying to engage as many leads as possible, the company's sales force instead nurtures a smaller quantity of well-qualified prospects. more
• How Intrigue and Personalization Helped a Marketing Firm Connect With Handpicked LeadsBabcock & Jenkins
  CASE STUDY: Relationship-marketing firm Babcock & Jenkins didn't tell prospects what it could do, it gave them a taste. Its campaign, launched with a package of brownies from a mystery source, showed how it uses intrigue, personalization, humor, and the soft-sell to establish and advance client relationships. Results: A tasty 50% response rate. more
• How a Young Company's History-Making Soccer-Jersey Sponsorship Increased Sales, Brand Recognition and MoreXanGo, LLC
  CASE STUDY - Here's how a unique Major League Soccer sponsorship helped a new beverage product score big in both sales and brand recognition. What's more, here are three lessons you can apply to your own sponsorship efforts. more
• How One Whitepaper Generated 500 Leads and Significant PR for a B2B ManufacturerJER Envirotech
  JER Envirotech, a manufacturer of environmentally friendly thermoplastic biocomposite materials, needed to stand out in the green manufacturing industry. Its solution: create a white paper to both explain and build credibility for its offerings. Here's how that led to 500 new leads over 60 days. more
• How a Consumer Electronics Company Leveraged the Power of Community to Uncover Market Preferences and Build Excitement for a New Product LineEastman Kodak Company
  When it chose to enter the saturated inkjet market 20 years late, Eastman Kodak had a few surprises up its sleeve. Still, the company found it also needed a little marketing ingenuity if it was to gain market share. more
• How a University Embraced Social Media and Scored Millions in YouTube ViewsCarnegie Mellon University
  How does a university up its visibility with an increasingly wired target market of both students of alumni? By orchestrating a Web 2.0-focused Web site redesign that set the foundation for an ongoing social media campaign. more
• How a Web-based Company Increased Leads 90%—and Sales 23%—via PPC-Visitor Profiling, Landing Page PersonalizationCompany: Continental Warranty
  Continental Warranty used pay-per-click ads to generate leads by providing free quotes for extended-warranty coverage. But lead volume had plateaued. So it began to profile its web visitors, then direct them to microsites matching their profiles—and nearly doubled leads. more
• How MyFax Upped Customer Engagement, Achieved a 79% NetPromoter ScoreMyFax
  Internt fax service provider MyFax wanted to tap into the power of word-of-mouth referrals by improving the customer experience and maintaining highly personalized customer interactions. But as an online company, it faced the issue of how to individually engage customers to ensure long-term relationships. Here's what it did. more
• How an Online Software Biz Doubled Its Sales Leads, Increased Site Traffic 75%Makana Solutions
  Makana Solutions needed an inexpensive way to reach the elusive small business market. Rather than chase small businesses, it hired an online "inbound marketing system" to help small businesses find Makana. The results: Web site traffic climbed 75%, and sales leads have doubled. more
• How Major League Baseball Doubled Fan Research Without Increasing CostsMajor League Baseball
  Each year, when MLB's postseason culminates with the World Series, all eyes are on baseball—or are they? With most teams out of the running, do those fans continue to watch? Are the resources invested in marketing worthwhile, or in tune with fans' true passions? more
• How a B2C Web Site's Landing-Page Tests Resulted in a 67% Jump in ConversionsBabyCenter
  The landing page for a top Web site's most popular search term converted about 30 percent less frequently than the company's general landing page. By simultaneously testing four new versions of the landing page, the site was able to ensure relevance, increasing conversions 67%—and decreasing abandonment rates. more
• How the Kimpton Hotel Group's Affinity-Based Email Program Boosted Bookings Revenue FivefoldKimpton Hotels
  Kimpton Hotels had successfully created a loyalty program, but its email program was lagging. By implementing an email strategy that focused on segmentation and targeting individual preferences, and by adding a corporate branding strategy, the company increased email bookings fivefold. more
• How Garden Fresh Realized a Huge Gain in Web Traffic and Longer-Term Loyalty via EmailGarden Fresh Restaurant Corp.
  Garden Fresh Restaurants sought to increase customer engagement with its "Club Veg" loyalty club, totaling more than half a million opt-in members. Its two interactive email campaigns worked like a charm -- leading to huge increases in site traffic and boosting customer loyalty. more
• How a State Agency's Anti-Smoking Campaign Effectively Reached Teens via the Web, TV and Live EventsColorado State Tobacco Education & Prevention Partnership (STEPP), a division of the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
  One of the more successful tobacco control programs is the "Own Your C" campaign commissioned by the state of Colorado, which has effectively found ways to resonate with this hard-to-reach demographic. more
• How a Hearing Aid Company Doubled the Percentage of Sales to Valuable First-Time BuyersOticon, Inc.
  The hearing aid industry has suffered from an image problem, because the devices were perceived as ugly and just for the elderly. As a result, just 23% of those who needed hearing aids actually bought them. But based on extensive market research, Oticon, Inc. built a cool hearing aid that appeals to first-time users. In just 18 months, it has achieved nearly double the industry average in the proportion of first-time hearing-aid buyers. more
• How a Software Firm's Soft-Sell, Educational Webcasts Helped Double SalesSoftrax Corp.
  Softrax Corp.'s enterprise software automates a company's entire revenue cycle. With the advantages of automation not always apparent to potential customers, Softrax based its marketing strategy on educating the market, while competitors relied mostly on advertising. Webcasts featuring government and industry experts—with only an indirect connection to Softrax apparent—formed the core of the new strategy, and within four years helped double revenues. more
• How a Manufacturer's Sales Team Found the Secret to Efficiently Service a Low-Tech Customer BaseFabcon
  The manufacturing sector is more traditional than most. Many of its customers aren't high tech—some don't even have Internet access. Fabcon, a Minnesota builder of precast wall panels, struggled with marrying its desire for high-tech operational efficiency and its need to service customers in the method that they preferred. more

Segmentation: See all 41 case studies

Segmentation online seminar broadcasts from the best minds in marketing

• Identity Marketing: Using PR to Reach the Minds (and Wallets) of Today's Diverse ConsumersAttendee rating:  - Apr 24, 2008
   
• Using e-Metrics to Optimize Your All-Around Marketing StrategyAttendee rating:  - Apr 3, 2008
   
• Tighten Up Your Marketing Plan: The Nuts and Bolts of Market SegmentationAttendee rating:  - Aug 2, 2007
   
• Ten Cravings of Generation X and Y: Satisfying This Young and Lucrative MarketAttendee rating:  - Jul 26, 2007
   
• How Connected People and Companies Are Winning Big in the Tech-Savvy Consumer PlaygroundAttendee rating:  - Jul 25, 2007
   
• Segmenting the Hispanic Market: What the Numbers Really MeanAttendee rating:  - Jul 12, 2007
   
• Personas 2: Using Mental Images of Customers for Better Product Planning, Branding and MessagingAttendee rating:  - Mar 8, 2007
   
• Personas 1: Breakthrough Customer Insight for Product, Website Design and MoreAttendee rating:  - Mar 7, 2007
   
• Hispanic Marketing EssentialsAttendee rating:  - Nov 16, 2006
   
• BOOM: Marketing to the Ultimate Power Consumer — The Baby Boomer WomanAttendee rating:  - Oct 26, 2006
   
• Hispanic Marketing: Effective Strategic Planning ProcessesAttendee rating:  - Mar 30, 2006
   
• Reach the Big Spenders: How to Market to Women from 50 to 75Attendee rating:  - Dec 1, 2005
   

Segmentation: See all 12 seminars

Segmentation marketing downloads for the busy professional

• Paid Search Advertising Template
  If you're a little intimidated by the prospect of Paid Search Advertising, seriously, join the crowd. Here it is though -- a guiding light through the complex waters of Paid Search Advertising. We assembled a 30-page template to make learning and implementing a successful paid search advertising campaign for your firm as easy as possible.
• Benchmark Survey: Voice of the Customer
  Link directly to the raw (aggregate) data in this 2006 survey of the ways companies are incorporating the voice of the customer into their marketing, their product development, and their management. With access to the raw data, you can view the results, and even filter them to see how a subset of companies in your country or industry answered. In this way, you can interpret the data in the most meaningful way for your business.
• Benchmark Survey: Marketing to Hispanics
  Link directly to the raw (aggregate) data in this 2006 survey of the ways companies are targeting their marketing efforts, and adjusting their business processes, for the lucrative Spanish-speaking segment. With access to the raw data, you can view the results, and even filter them to see how a subset of companies in your country or industry answered. In this way, you can interpret the data in the most meaningful way for your business.

See all marketing downloads